Oh, hey. We’re Vans Womens. We’ve been a little behind the scenes until now, but we’re about to make a big splash. Cannonball off the high dive splash. Big.

This season is super special for us. For one, we feel Alive. Alive like the wall-to-wall talent packed into this issue. Video director Chrissie Miller put together a pack of talented up-and-comers—Annabelle Dexter-Jones, Luz Pavon, Georgia Ford, Langley Fox Hemingway and Coco Young—for her video “Performance.” Plus, we are beyond psyched that photographer
Cass Bird shot our campaign, bringing her signature brand of energy and beauty to the off-the-wall world of Vans.

We also want to be Wild this season. In the literal sense, we teamed up with the ASPCA for an accessories collaboration to help our four-legged friends. We also want to be wild like Angel Haze—with no filters and
wild enough to be herself through and through.

Most of all, this season we’re going to be Free . Free to explore the world around us and push boundaries both real and imagined. We’re aspiring to limitless inspiration and global change. TAKE Della’s Tina Tangalakis, who traveled all the way to Ghana to find her true calling and with whom we collaborated this season. We’re going to be free like our surf team athlete Leila Hurst, traipsing around the globe in search of adventure… And croissants.

This season has been a little bit of a creation story for us. From our cast of characters to our newest releases, we’re ready to tell the world who we are: Alive, Wild & Free.

Come fly with us to Mexico City, the heart of color and commotion.
We dispatched cool-lady photog Cass Bird due south with a suitcase brimming with Vans gear and she let loose on the city. Traipsing everywhere from artist Juan O’Gorman’s light-streaked home to the Mercado Jamaica flower market and back again, her crew learned that global style knows no bounds. And you can never have enough duct tape.

Puebla 109 is in the heart of the trendy Roma neighborhood and is the place to have breakfast, lunch, dinner, and, why not, an “off the wall” cocktail. The Mexican-only wine list and flawless fusion cuisine is quickly making Puebla a household name since its opening last November.

Curiosidades California

Surrounded by art galleries and designer shops in the Colonia Roma, Curiosidades California is filled with exclusive and unique clothing—everything from Vans to special accessories and designer brands.

Mercado de La Lagunilla

Located about ten blocks north of the city’s main plaza in a neighborhood called La Lagunilla, Mercado de la Lagunilla is one of the largest markets in the city and it’s famous for its vintage shopping. It consists of three sections: one for clothing, one for furniture and one for typical food; mostly selling to lower income customers, vintage lovers and curious tourists.

CASA BOSQUES

Our new favorite bookstore is located in the Roma neighborhood as well. Casa Bosques carries titles in areas of art, design, fashion and architecture in a wide assortment of national and international books and magazines. CB is a great resource for local and not-so-local visitors.

Patrick Miller

For fans for 80s and 90s dance battle movies, the “back in the day” time warp at this Friday-only club is The spot. It’s famous for its packed floors full of people showing off their well-practiced vintage moves.

Between her high-energy, tell-it-like-it-is lyrics and a bombastic boyish style we’re still trying to figure out how to cop, Angel Haze has us tongue-tied. Vans was lucky enough to catch up with Detroit’s latest export to talk Dirty Gold, personal style and Charles Bukowski BEFORE SHE PLAYED THE HOUSE OF VANS IN BERLIN.

Congratulations on releasing your debut record! I guess the biggest question right now is: Why did you decide to leak it
(and subsequently prompt your label to speed up the album’s official release)?

I thought the record deserved to be heard.

Musically, who are your main influences? Who did you look up to as
a kid and who are you super into now? Have you changed a lot or have you always had the same distinct style?

Since about eighteen. An impromptu performance at SOBs one night in NYC made this career a permanent one for me.

What has it been like to rise through the ranks so quickly? Is it a whirlwind or do you feel totally prepared?

I have only felt emotion in hindsight. I realize that I have a long
way to go, but the places I have hit feel incredible. I may be a bit more prepared than I am not, but something will catch me off guard.
I know it.

You had a lot of top tier help with the record—Lily Allen, Arcade Fire, Sia, just to name a few—what was it like working with such incredible talent? Was it hard to meld their many different
styles with your own or did it come easier than you might have originally thought?

It came easy, I worked with producers who understood what I was going for. I wanted a melting pot of dichotomies, and we achieved it.

As far as personal style: What or who inspires you? How does
your stage style differ from what you wear day-to-day?

I’m still really into androgyny. I like to be comfortable, so my daily style does not differ from my stage style at all.

For your shoot with us at Vans, you pulled together a look from across our different sub-categories: mens, skate, womens, etc. Tell us how you put together such a rad look and what it was like on set!

Ha. I like to be comfortable and I wanted the photographer to
be able to ask me to do anything. It was so much fun. Felt like it went really fast.

With arctic blasts and endless blanket cocoons squarely behind us, we’re more than ready to re-enter society and start the parade of warm weather hangouts again. To help us kick-start the season—and inaugurate our Spring 14 collection—we rounded up some of the raddest, most babein’ up-and-comers around: Annabelle Dexter-Jones, Georgia Ford, Langley Fox Hemingway, Luz Pavon and Coco Young. Not only are these girls mega-talents poised for a big-time takeover, but come on now, they’re also major stunners. And, let’s face it, sometimes you just need a little help from your friends.

I like to sweep up my cats excess
hair and burn in with a lighter inside
my house.

When did you start illustrating? How would you describe your aesthetic?
I have drawn since I was a young child and continued up until I went to art school, where I studied fashion design. When I was out of school, I realized that I preferred drawing by myself than being surrounded by the world of fashion and just began freelancing as an illustrator and designer.
I think my art and style has just developed from doing it almost every day and getting better and more clear about where I want to take it. I am drawn to photorealistic pencil drawings and that is something I embody in my work. I admire things that have a dark innocence to them.

We’ve heard you wear several of your own illustrations in tattoo-form, as well.
I have two that I drew that are matching with my Pops, one being an arrow and the other a dagger. I have them as a keepsake that I get to have forever; some with friends, some with family, and others that just add to the story of my life

What do you find gratifying? And the most terrifying?
I find the most simple things most gratifying, like finishing a drawing or going on a hike or seeing my best friends. Those things make everything worthwhile. The most terrifying is fear itself and the unknown, but I try to distance myself from thinking negatively.Different from the other girls featured in the Vans collection video, you’re based in our native Southern California.
How do you feel your aesthetic and personal life are affected or complemented by these surroundings?
I love living in Southern California. We have amazing weather, we can afford houses bigger than shoeboxes, and we have a little city life surrounded by all types of different natural escapes. The aesthetic here can really be anything you want—we’re not that particular.

How do you feel about being label as an “it girl”—does it feel odd, natural or like nothing?
I’m not even sure if I really know what that means, does it mean “I get it?” I guess it feels like nothing, I’m still waiting for the magic powers to kick in.

Were you a Vans fan before the video? What was it like working with such an iconic American brand?Yes, of course I was!
I love a classic pair of Vans, they are comfortable, cute, and
make you feel like a cool kid.

With music, film and fashion coursing through her veins—dad is Mick Jones of Foreigner, mom is fashion legend Ann Dexter-Jones, step-siblings are Mark, Charlotte and Sam Ronson—
it’s no surprise that Annabelle Dexter-Jones seems to emanate creativity wherever she goes and onto whatever she touches. The downtown New York staple has garnered attention from everyone from Sofia Coppola (check out Dexter-Jones in her Marni x H&M short film) and NylonTV for her signature cocktail of cute-as-a-button, easy-going, tomboy style. Of late, Dexter-Jones has taken a turn for the silver screen, with a GenArt Stargazer award-winning role in And After All and an upcoming turn in The Nymphets. We caught up with her in her native New York for “Performance,” in which the soon-to-hit star admits her pursuit
of the limelight came early in life: “I would put on a one-person show for my family and I would force them to sit down and watch it,” to which she adds slyly and with a telling smile, “I was a lot of trouble…for my parents.”

This may be a bit weird but I like snacking on dry pasta and ice, but my favorite food is avocado.

Your debut role in a film came this year—tell us a little bit about American Milkshake and your role in it.American Milkshake is a coming-of-age story about a confused teenage boy living in Takoma Park, Maryland, during the 90’s. I play his girlfriend Christine Hernandez—well, one of his girlfriends. She’s an anorexic cheerleader who gets pregnant and has an abortion.
We understand that you had a background in theater acting before this—what have been your favorite roles so far and what has it been like working in front of a camera? Which do you prefer?
One of my favorite roles was actually my second time on stage. I played a detective in Bugsy Malone, it was a high school play so they had to utilize their limited supply of theater dorks. All the girls wanted to be Jodie Foster, but I auditioned for Bugsy. I always wanted to play a mobster, ever since I was 5 and saw Reservoir Dogs. I love the adrenaline that comes with doing theater—you know, if you mess up you have a moment to fix it, to make it work. That kind of pressure can be a lot of fun. But film is a different animal altogether. A much subtler one. As I grew older I became more and more fond of the complexities of film; the mechanics, the many stages between pre- and post-production. Right now I find myself drawn to that world, from beginning to end, although I hate watching myself.
How do you go about selecting your roles? Any recurring themes or types of characters that seem to pull you in more than others?
I’ve always wanted to play a psychopath.
Full disclosure: The Internet seems to be pretty heartily scrubbed of a lot of Georgia Ford facts—what’s something awesome that we don’t know about you?
I write a fair amount. I’m writing my second feature film right now.What’s your favorite place in the world? Favorite foods? Books? Films?
Probably somewhere I’ve never been, maybe Wyoming. My favorite book is Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. I love German romanticism, (bring on the pitchforks). I love the psychological horror films of Chan-wook Park, also Bad Lieutenant. Just saw Buñuel’s Belle du Jour again, forgot how great it is.What was the most fun thing about being on set for the Chrissie Miller x Vans video? How was it working with Chrissie and Heidi?
I’ve been lucky enough to work with Heidi before, and Chrissie and I are old friends. I always have a good time with them; they create a fun and relaxed enviroment.
What were some of your favorite looks from the Spring 14 Vans Women collection? Anything you’ll definitely need for the upcoming warmer weather?
At one point, while I was getting dressed, I came upon a matching sweat suit with a hoodie and fell for it. It was so comfortable, but I don’t think it made it into the shoot because I looked a bit like a blob of navy blue cotton surrounded by chic summer attire.
Were you a Vans fan before the video? What was it like working with such an iconic American brand?
I remember Vans from the time I was living in LA most. All the surfers and skateboarders wore them. I got my first pair because I had a crush on that type of guy and wanted to impress him. So I ran them over with a car a couple of times to make it seem as if I’d always been wearing them.

Coco Young

Coco Young has the kind of magnetic appeal and mysterious, guarded air that truly fascinates a creative mind. By twenty-four the photographer-turned-model-turned-photographer had already played muse for the likes of John Currin, Richard Kern, and Ryan McGinley while enrolled in Columbia University, where she continues to study Art and Art History. While the Marseilles-raised photographer put her camera down temporarily when she first began modeling, she’s now ready to unleash her talent and leave the lens-grabbing doe eyes to someone else. Young’s images are moody, arresting, sometimes jarring or unsettling. In her “Performance” interview, she revealed that “When [she] was a kid she wanted to be a private detective.” saying “I was really obsessed with Harriet the Spy. I would spy on my neighbors and write observations in a notebook.” Young believes that more than gear, chance is what makes a good photograph, and these days she’s putting her true gumshoe nature and power of observation to the test as she scours the world in search of the beautiful, the austere and compelling.

I love turtles and sea life so I built a small farm of tiny turtles and had over 30 of them.

You’ve been modeling for a couple years now, so tell us: What’s the best part?
You experience new adventures, go to different places, meet
new people, get involved in new projects and then you get to see the great results! I have lot of good memories and I enjoy the work. It really is my passion.

What’s your favorite adventure spot then?
My favorite spots are in Asia. It’s full of inspiration and Kawaii stuff—I love that! I want to go back there via Eva Airlines for the full Hello Kitty plane experience! I even have a bunch of pairs of Vans from the Sanrio collaboration.

How did you get into modeling?
Very random! I would get noticed [by a scout] walking on the street, going to the grocery or unusual places.

What inspired you to start designing your own clothes for your line Pavon? What’s it like working side-by-side with your sister?
Since I was little, I loved fashion and would always make my own clothes with my sister. We go to the fabric store and buy lots of fabric, then sit down and spend hours creating, sewing and customizing the clothes. I really love it because I get to share the amazing experience and unforgettable moments with her.

Do you think that as a model you bring a unique perspective to designing your line?
When you are a model, you are able to see the diversity of clothes, fabrics, shapes, and textures, but I think all designers have their own perspective and [ultimately] as a brand
you develop your own ideas in your own way and with your own taste.

Go behind the scenes of our “Performance” video for an exclusive sneak peek of all the rag-tag energy and seemingly endless laughter that was shoot day.

curtain call / sneak attack

Photography by Todd Jordan

Sometimes it really is as easy as it looks. “It didn’t even feel like work,” says stylist Heidi Bivens of shoot day for Chrissie Miller’s “Performance”, “it was just really fun.” That said, sometimes making it look easy is just a testament to your major skill set—and Miller has been developing her signature video style for years, initially in support of her Sophomore label in conjunction with Cass Bird, and now on her own. Although the video’s theme is “Performance”, Miller’s interview style allowed our five personalities to naturally shine, as they wore pieces personally selected from the collection. Says Bivens: “Even though I ‘styled’ the video, it really was sort of a rack of clothing and working with the girls to select what fit with their own personal style. [The video] is portrait-driven, so it was important for it to feel like they were wearing something they would really wear, in a way they would actually wear it.”

QUIET ON THE SET

LANGLEY’S VANS

LANGLEY GETTING READY FOR HER CLOSEUP

ANNABELLE GOES FOR A RIDE

THE CAST CHILLS BETWEEN TAKES

ANNABELLE AND GEORGIA joke around on set

CHRISSIE AND HeiDI DIRECTING A SCENE WITH COCO

We’ve got looks to take you from impromptu late night photo booth session to early morning pancake house—and everything in between.

Four years ago, Della designer Tina Tangalakis found herself in rural Ghana having fifty hobo bags handmade by a woman offering seamstress services by the side of the road. “This will either be a big mistake or the best thing I’ve ever done,” she remembers thinking.

Earlier that year, Tangalakis was at a career crossroads. After years spent designing and costume styling, she was burnt out—both on the work and with the inauthentic relationships she saw everywhere in her industry. So, she did what anyone looking to make a career change would do: She updated her LinkedIn account and took a couple classes at a local college. Just kidding. She upended to Ghana to volunteer for a couple months. Which is, of course, just slightly different.

Since high school, Tangalakis had been continually involved in community service efforts—helping to build a school in Mexico and working at a Venice, California family clinic several days per week. The trip wasn’t necessarily supposed to reinvigorate or reposition her career, but when confronted with the vibrant colors and magnetic prints of traditional Ghanian textiles, Tangalakis was immediately hooked. She brought those prototype hobo bags back to Los Angeles, where they quickly sold out, then started on new silhouettes, including pouches, headbands, and Della’s ever-popular laptop cases.

A closer look at the hand block printing process.

The beautiful women of della

After the first two years of what Tangalakis describes as a “considerable learning curve,” Della evolved and expanded to become the perfect marriage of her two passions: art and humanitarian work. Not only does the company provide reliable work and a fair wage to its employees overseas, but it also offers job training, social security, healthcare, literacy classes and money management training. In four years of existence, 80% of Della employees have stayed with the company, creating an atmosphere that Tangalakis describes as close and familial.

The latest from Della is—you guessed it—a collaboration with Vans, which Tangalakis says was a “landmark accomplishment” as a Southern California native. Using handmade batik fabrics that are just slightly updated for a Western consumer, the collection is at once completely familiar and energetically different. A complementary and uncompromising combination of elements—and that is exactly what Della fans have come to expect.

Let’s just say Vans Surf team athlete Leila Hurst is no stranger to traveling. As if her home island of Kawaii, Hawaii, wasn’t paradise enough, Hurst trots the globe in search of perfect surf—oh, and maybe just a competition or two. When we caught up with the 21-year-old pro during a rare moment of downtime, we just had to ask: What in the world is it like to be Leila Hurst?

So, we all know what a talented surfer you are, but what we really want to know about is all the amazing destinations you get to visit doing what you do. To start, what’s your favorite spot to surf? And your favorite spot to visit?My favorite spot to surf is in Mexico. And my favorite spot to visit is anywhere in Europe. It has the most beautiful countries.

Is it hard to balance your busy schedule and actually get to see some of the places you go?I get asked this a lot! Well, it always depends on what type of a trip it is. If it’s a contest trip it’s difficult to venture around because for that week that I’m there, my life revolves around the contest. But most of the time we have lay days and that’s when the venturing happens. I love going on trips with Vans Women’s team, for example to New York and being overwhelmed by the craziness. It’s so much fun.

Have you had any crazy or random adventures while you’ve been traveling… that you’d care to share with us?Long story short, I had a girl take my identity and date this guy in Australia online for three years. I had the guy come up to me at a contest almost in tears so happy to see me. It was so insane.
I could tell you how this all unravelled but it would take ages!

Where have you had the best food? Top meal of all time? And something you always have to get when you’re in a specific town?
I love love love croissants from France! They are like no other. Warm and melt in your mouth. I probably put on a few pounds when I’m there.

Any favorite places to shop internationally (or domestically)?
Australia has great shopping. The women there are very trendy. It’s inspiring.

3 things you absolutely cannot leave home without?
Face wash- to take off my sunscreen, my phone and my bikini.

How do you think traveling so much and so early in life is shaping you as a person? Further, what do think about being able to travel the world doing what you love? Any advice for up-and-coming surfers? And aspiring globe-trotters?
I am so fortunate to have the life I have. To travel since I was twelve years old. I think, from a young age,s I developed a bigger perspective on life. Being able to travel the world doing what I love is a dream. I am so so so thankful everyday. My advice is to not take surfing too seriously. That’s the worst thing you can do. Just love it and be in the water all the time. It’s the best feeling, ever.

Cable, you had us at motorcycles, euphoric rock chords, and One Direction. We’re hooked. The
nearly one-year-old band from model and filmmaker Tracy Antonopoulos and filmmaker Ben Morsberger has been making major waves (at Vans and elsewhere) since they debuted at Timo Weiland’s Fall 2013 New York Fashion Week presentation. Since then, they’ve been riding their signature wave of grunge-guitar and drone pixie vocals through to landmark achievements, like a Dev Hynes-produced track “Roxanne” and the sleekly dystopic, Blade runner-esque video by the same name.
Because we’re total fans, we had to track down Tracy and hound her with questions—and because she’s so insanely cool, she humored us with some responses. In her own words: “Check it!”

You’re closing in (or wait, have already closed in!) on one year of playing live with Cable—how has it been going?
I’m really proud of Roxanne, our first video. It was a coming together of a bunch of talented friends to make something that we feel is really cool.

How has your live set evolved over the past year?
The more we play, the better we get. When we first played, it was almost just like singing karaoke—sometimes, I wouldn’t sing completely into the mic because I was shy. Now, I’m much more comfortable completely transforming on stage into a performer. I kind of like to think of it as a super hero putting on her suit. Cable-Girl.

What’s the story behind the band name?
When Ben and I started Cable, we were doing a lot of video editing for work, and we were trying to figure out a name that could represent our love of film or video. I was sitting at my desk and staring at all these hard drives that were plugged into my computer; then it came to me. I texted him, “What about Cable?” Boom—million-dollar name and hopefully not a million- dollar lawsuit. :/

What are the band’s main influences, both musically and in general?
Ben is really influenced by Nine Inch Nails and Aphex Twin, while I’m really influenced by Pulp, Blur and a lot of Britpop. I’m also inspired lyrically and emotionally by big, huge, #1 pop songs. I love Taylor Swift, Fun, Lana Del Rey. I really respect a lot of the producers who are behind these artists and really love things that are big and powerful sounding.

How does your perspective combine with Ben’s to create your sound?
Ben and I both share a love of movies. When we first met, we bonded over Christopher Nolan and David Fincher films, specifically the Dark Knight Trilogy. Heartbreak and injustice are topics that get my blood boiling.

Let’s talk about working with Dev Hynes, because that’s awesome. How was working with him and what was that process like?
Dev was a really close friend before we worked together. He’s crazy talented and it’s the best working with someone who knows you well and is familiar with your dreams and aspirations.

To top it all off, you’re also a videographer! Do you think your knowledge of music helped you develop as a videographer (or vice versa)?
I trained rigorously as a dancer my whole life, until my sophomore year at NYU, when I decided I wanted to explore other mediums. Film attracted me because it incorporates everything I love: storytelling, performance, movement, music. I definitely think that my video work and music complement each other. We try to create a world and a story, as one would do when making a movie. When making films, music is always the starting point for me and is what I use to guide the pace and mood of the film.

And of course I must ask—are you a Vans fan?
I am definitely a Vans girl at heart! Spicoli wore the checker slip ons, and I’ve been late to class ever since!

We asked ourselves: What’s the point of putting together a kick-ass collection and off the wall video if we can’t use it as an excuse to hang with our buds? So, we rounded up our gang of beautiful weirdos and threw a party to celebrate. featuring music by the Misshapes and Cable, the event had a waffle bar, plenty of beverages and offered an exclusive sneak peek of everything Vans has up its sleeves for Spring. Join us next time, ok?

We partnered with the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
for a powerfully stylish assortment of shoes, bags, and accessories. So take a walk on
your wild side with us—and help out some furry pals while you’re at it.